Boston Globe: Research from BUSSW’s Institute for Equity in Child Opportunity & Healthy Development on the Child Care Affordability Crisis in Mass. is Featured
A Boston Globe article examines the growing child care affordability crisis across the Commonwealth, highlighting research from the Institute for Equity in Child Opportunity & Healthy Development (IECOHD) at Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW).
“In Massachusetts, child care costs are out of reach for most working parents,” the Globe spotlighted findings from BUSSW researchers Pamela Joshi and Abigail Walters.
Their analysis found that 74% of full-time, year-round working parents in Massachusetts cannot afford center-based child care, based on the federal benchmark that care should cost no more than 7% of family income. The burden is even greater for Black and Hispanic parents, who face disproportionately high unaffordable costs.
The researchers also underscored the need for stronger public investment. While subsidies and Head Start programs make care affordable for some families, many eligible children remain on waiting lists.
The coverage highlights the IECOHD’s leadership in equity-centered research that informs policy and advances opportunities for children and families across Massachusetts.